Friday, September 16, 2016

Missouri's Republican-led House and Senate override vetoes on gun laws, voter ID

Missouri's Republican-controlled House and Senate on Wednesday voted to override a pair of vetoes by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon of laws relaxing concealed-carry gun permits and proposing stronger rules for voter identification, Kevin Murphy reports for Reuters. The bills allow residents to carry a concealed gun without a permit and would require voters to show photo identification to vote.

The Senate voted to override the concealed carry veto 24-6 and the House 112-41, Jason Hancock reports for The Kansas City Star. "Previously, gun owners could carry a concealed weapon in public by passing a criminal background check and completing a gun safety training class in order to get a permit. On the final day of the 2016 legislative session, lawmakers approved a bill eliminating those requirements and allowing someone to carry a concealed firearm in public without a permit."

In vetoing the bill Nixon "said it would allow 'individuals to legally carry a concealed firearm even though they have been or would be denied a permit because their background check revealed criminal offenses or caused the sheriff to believe they posed a danger,'" Hancock writes. The law goes into effect in 30 days.

The override of the voter-ID law passed the Senate 24-6 and the House 115-41. Murphy writes, "The bill would not take effect until 2017, after this year's presidential election, and only if voters in November pass a state constitutional amendment in support of the new law. That is necessary because the Missouri Supreme Court ruled 10 years ago that such a statute violated the existing state constitution."

No comments: